Kansas Loosens Petition Rules

Kansas is ending a ban on non-residents circulating election petitions that hasn’t been enforced for almost four years because a federal judge declared it unconstitutional.

Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill Thursday repealing the requirement that petition circulators be Kansas residents. The change takes effect next week.

Members of political organizations can circulate petitions to gain party recognition from the state so their candidates can have the affiliation listed on the ballot. People also circulate petitions to recall elected officials, and some candidates circulate petitions to get on the ballot.

The residency requirement was challenged in 2010 by members of the Constitution Party, and a federal judge said it violated their right to free association. The attorney general’s office also had concluded that the law was unconstitutional.